The Good Witch
by Reika-Hell-Flower
Summary: The bad guy - in this case, girl - wins. The one that was the good guy all along is dead. Killed by a loved one, no less. The villain walks away, laughing. The end. But was it really the end? This story follows the beginning of a new life for someone who was betrayed by the very person they tried to save. Will she want revenge? Or will she forgive, and become a good witch?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own "The Witch's House" and its characters.**

 **[A/N - Hello there! I usually put notes up here so get used to seeing me here from time to time.**

 **Anyway, I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought the ending of "The Witch's House" was a whole load of bull 8I It was one of the most depressing things I've ever seen. So, I'm sure I'm not the first one to want to make things a little better either. But, to get to a happy ending, sometimes you have to go through hardships and realize what's really important...**

 **And so, the idea for this story began. I hope you enjoy it :3 Any positive feedback or constructive criticism is most welcome!]**

* * *

Friendship is a beautiful thing.

They say that there is no bigger proof of love than to give your life to save your friends. Of course, people usually assume that the feeling of friendship and fraternal love is not one-sided. Would it still be a great proof of love if it was, though? Would it still be a story of selfless love, or would it then become just pure tragedy?

When I agreed to give my body to you, my friend – just for a day, as you assured – I thought I was giving my own proof of love. I thought I was showing you that, no matter the condition you were in, no matter the illness that continuously ravaged your body, you would always be a dear friend to me. In a way, you were the _dearest_ friend I had, considering how you could die at any moment. I didn't want you to die. It felt unfair that I was healthy and free to walk, run and dance all I wanted, while you were confined to that bed of yours all day. Even if you were a "witch", you were my friend.

So, when you told me about this spell that would allow us to switch bodies, I thought nothing of it. It was my chance to do something for you. All I could do until that point was keep you company, tell you stories about the world that you would never get to see, and hope that my friendship would be enough to keep you happy. I guess that, deep down, I knew that it would never be enough. You wanted to see that world I told you so much about yourself, right? And so I agreed. I allowed you to perform the spell.

And that was the day when I realized that the story between you and I was not a tale of true friendship. It was a story of tragedy… and betrayal. A story of a girl who was willing to do anything to get what she wanted. Even if it meant leaving her only friend to die.

Except… I didn't die. I'm sure you thought I did. My father did shoot me right in front of you, after all. He was convinced that I was a monster; little did he know the _real_ monster was standing right next to him, taking the form of his beloved daughter. You found it funny, didn't you? That I had been killed by my own father, just like your parents were killed by their own daughter.

No, Ellen, I'm afraid I didn't die. I'm still here. Biding my time, waiting for the day we meet again. It doesn't matter how many years went by. It doesn't matter if you've forgotten all about me – I certainly haven't forgotten about you.

Remember the forest I used to go through to visit you? I bet you'll find something interesting there. Your house might have disappeared, but there's a new one in its place. _My_ house.

Go on, Ellen, open the door. I promise the doorknob won't bite. Don't be scared. Aren't I your friend? Trust me, Ellen.

 _Come to my room._


	2. The Wolf and the Witch

**Disclaimer: I do not own "The Witch's House" and its characters.**

* * *

The Witch's Forest.

For many years, those tall, ominous trees were viewed by the townsfolk of the neighboring village as the wall that separated them from a great evil. Someone they had never seen, but who they were certain would be the last thing they'd ever lay eyes on if they happened to meet. A witch, they said.

Legend spoke of a witch who lived in a mansion deep in the woods for centuries – hence the name of the forest. No one was sure if such a story was true, but reports of countless children being lost in those woods certainly added to the legend. Parents used the legend of the witch to keep their children away from trouble, and to keep them away from the forest. Of course, a child's natural curiosity would often lead them to ignore their parents' wise words of advice. And thus, the story of one such child began. A young girl named Viola.

Viola was the daughter of a local hunter, the only family he had left. She was his most precious treasure – a lovely girl, with golden hair tied in braids and lively green eyes. Viola was the true image of innocence and kindness, adored by the whole village. But, kindness brings upon a trait that evil sure knows how to take advantage of – the willingness to believe that there is good in everyone.

The girl's father knew that his daughter was a stubborn one – determined like he never saw – so it was of no surprise to him when she announced that she would be visiting the Witch's Forest. He tried to dissuade her, of course, but the argument was short and ended as it always did. Viola won.

Day after day, Viola would return home with stories of a lonely girl she had met in the woods. A lonely, ill girl that had no one to play with. She called her Ellen. Her father had never heard of such a girl, but his daughter was not one to lie. So he allowed her to visit her, but warned her to be cautious. There was a witch living in the woods, after all.

One day in particular, Viola didn't return home at the time she usually did. Fearing that his daughter was yet another child to be lost to the witch, the hunter set off in search of her.

He found her, unharmed, near a house he had never seen before. But she wasn't alone.

A monster, like he had never seen before, was crawling after her, like some predator, making horrific groaning and hissing sounds. He didn't stop to think what that creature could be – all he knew was that his daughter was in danger. The legless, eyeless creature seemed to be surprised by the man's sudden arrival, and looked up at him. Without a second to waste, the man shot the monster down, and took his daughter to the safety of their home, never to let her wonder out of his sight again.

He didn't know it, of course, but the "monster" he had just killed, was no monster at all. It was a girl. _His_ girl – Viola.

* * *

A raven hopped to a lower branch of its favorite tree to better observe the odd scene taking place down below.

Some sort of creature – a human girl, perhaps, albeit horribly mangled – was lying on the ground, trying her best to drag herself towards two other figures stood in front of her. It didn't look like she was trying to be scary, or trying to intimidate them. It almost looked like she was pleading.

One of the figures in front of the mangled body was a young blonde girl. Her body figure said "horror", but her eyes said "glee". The raven had seen that look before. Not on that girl though. That was odd. It was like the soul inhabiting that body didn't belong there at all.

The other figure was a bulky man wielding a shotgun. The raven knew that man. He was a hunter, not a threat to the bird. After all, hunters didn't bother with ravens.

The hunter shot the pleading creature – trying to protect his child, no doubt – and then ushered his (supposedly) scared daughter away. He didn't hear the giggle the blonde girl gave just as she walked away. An eerie giggle, that didn't suit her at all.

The raven flew away at the sound of the shotgun being fired. Even though the bird knew it was not the recipient of the bullet, the sound was still enough for it to fly away – as a safety precaution.

And so, the mangled girl was left alone. Alone with her dying thoughts.

' _Daddy… Don't leave me…'_ she thought. _'That's not me… I'm Viola… I'm your daughter, please… She's the witch…! Come back!'_

But the hunter didn't come back. He left, with the girl he believe to be his daughter, leaving the dying girl behind.

"Well, that's that, eh?"

A black cat jumped out of a bush elegantly, and then strutted towards the mangled girl. He sniffed and then wrinkled his snout. "Yep, one more minute and you're a goner. Oh well – you tried your best, didn't cha? So no regrets, heh."

The girl couldn't answer the cat's taunting even if she wanted to. Her throat was so badly burned that all she could do was make hissing and groaning sounds which, coupled with her bloodied appearance, made her look horrifying. She was sure that if she saw her reflection in the mirror, she would be scared too.

The cat sat next to her, patiently waiting for her to die. He was in no hurry. They both knew she wasn't going to make it. Her body was crumbling, as well as her heart and spirit. Her father left her, not knowing that he was taking a monster home instead of his daughter.

"Silly, silly Viola," the cat yawned. "You know it is your own fault that you're here about to die, right? You shouldn't have given up your body so easily."

No need to rub it in – she knew that too.

As the sound of the rustling leaves of the forest slowly died out, the girl knew she had but a few seconds to live. Not even willpower would keep her running this time – she had none of that left. It left along with her father and the person she once called a friend. The demon imposing as a cat would soon be feasting on her soul, and that would be the end of the story of Viola, the silly, naïve girl who believed a witch could actually be her friend.

Just as she was ready to give up her final breath, the cat's ears perked up. His head turned very slowly, looking back at the bushes from which he had jumped out off just moments ago. His yellow eyes narrowed.

"This is my territory, chump," he hissed. "My soul, so beat it."

The girl held her breath. Something was going on. Being on the body of a witch made her aware of things she would have never been able to tell if she was in her own body – the body of a person with no magic. She could tell now, though, that there was a presence in the woods. A presence that felt very similar, and yet very different, from the cat that sat next to her.

The cat was no longer sitting. He turned to face the bushes and took a few steps, disappearing from the girl's side. She could no longer see him. All she could do was listen to his steps.

The sound of his paws on the leaves was muffled, almost inaudible. Then the sound of a wood snapping told Viola that he had stepped on a feeble branch, which broke. She was still holding her breath, for some reason fearful of what could happen.

A louder sound – that of an animalistic growl – made her body shiver. Something heavy landed on the ground, away from the range of sight, and was battling the cat, judging from the hisses and sounds of scuffle the girl could hear. She could try to turn her head and look in the direction of the sounds, but she was scared. What if the thing that was attacking the cat would go for her next?

The sounds of battle died out, and the woods were silent again. For a few seconds. Viola started breathing again, but in short intervals, fearful of making a sound.

More steps. Heavier than the cat's. It sounded like the cat had lost his fight. Viola felt the distinct smell of blood and rotten meat – one she had become familiar with, being on the witch's company and now body – approach her. Finally, whatever attacked the cat revealed itself to the mangled girl.

It was a large dark brown wolf. If it wasn't for its sheer size, it would have seemed average. Although she was the daughter of a hunter, Viola had never seen a wolf so big. She doubted even her father wouldn't be shocked at the sight of that beast. The wolf had blood on his fur, and something hanging from his mouth – a paw, the girl realized, belonging to a black cat.

"Damn, aren't you in a bad shape," the wolf grunted, looking down at her. He sat and swallowed the paw whole, then proceeding to lick his lips in an almost indecent manner. "Delicious~"

The girl whimpered as she squeezed the leaves underneath her. Well, things really had taken a turn to the worse. She wasn't too thrilled to have her soul devoured by that demonic cat, but now she was facing an ever crueler option – to be eaten alive by that giant beast of a wolf, who, from the sound of it, was a demon as well. At least he could talk; that wasn't something normal wolves could do.

"So, you're the girl who traded her body with a witch, uh?" The wolf sniffed at her, just like the cat had. "Pft, yeah, you don't have much time. Shit, that witch really did a number on her own body before making the switch. She must have hated your guts."

Yes, she must have…

' _Just kill me already… I have nothing else to live for…'_ Viola thought desperately.

"Now don't say that," the wolf said, lowering his head so he could stare into her empty eye-sockets. "There's always something to live for. Even if it's something as horribly nasty as revenge."

Viola looked back at the wolf. Revenge…?

The wolf lied down in front of her, resting his snout on his paws. "Yep, sweet soul-crushing revenge. You've tried that already, haven't you?" He chuckled when he saw Viola's pained expression become that of surprise. "Don't look so shocked – you tried to get her killed by her own house. Pretty stupid if you ask me; after all, if she died, you wouldn't be able to get your body back."

She observed the wolf for a while. She wasn't trying to kill Ellen. The inhabitants of the house were. She wanted to keep Ellen alive so they could make the trade again, but there were several souls trapped in the witch's house that wanted their revenge. She couldn't blame them.

"Ah I see. Well, she did step on a lot of toes to get her way," the wolf observed, again seemingly able to read her thoughts. "I mean, just look at you. Now, she didn't become like that after making the deal to become a witch, I reckon. She was already messed up in the head _long_ before that."

She already knew all of this. After trading bodies with Ellen, she had seen some of the memories that had been left behind in her body. She knew what kind of life Ellen lived – neglecting parents, people in town treating her like nothing, that illness that took away all chances of being happy as far as Ellen was concerned. Ellen killed her own parents, made a deal with a demon to become a witch and obtain magic, and then killed several more people just out of pure selfishness.

Viola coughed violently. More blood covered the ground. She was at the very end of her strength. If that wolf had something to say to her then he'd have to make it quick.

' _What… do you want… from me?'_ she thought, knowing he could hear her.

The wolf grinned. "Me? I want to make a deal."


	3. The Deal

**Disclaimer: I do not own "The Witch's House" and its characters.**

* * *

A deal…?

The wolf kept staring at the mangled body that was once Ellen's, waiting for an answer.

Viola looked back at the demon in disguise, her magic enabling her to see even though her eyes were gone. She knew that, deep in her heart, she still wanted to live, and that was the only reason why she was still having that "conversation" with the demon wolf.

On the other hand, she knew what kind of "deal" he was talking about. When a person made a deal with a demon, they became a witch. Like Ellen… They would be granted magical powers, in exchange of finding souls for the demon to devour. Viola couldn't imagine living like that. But… did she prefer dying without finding justice…?

"Well…?" the wolf grunted. "Your time is running out, princess. If you don't make a decision fast, I'll just make on for you and eat your soul right here. Is that what you want?"

Viola gulped, but that only made her throat ache even more intensely.

' _If I make a deal with you…'_ she thought, knowing the wolf could somehow hear her thoughts. _'I'll become a witch like Ellen…'_

The wolf nodded. "Right."

' _But I'm in Ellen's body… Doesn't that mean I'm a witch already?'_

"Yes and no." The wolf's ear twitched. It was starting to rain. "Technically speaking, your body has magic, but the deal was made with a demon that's pretty much gone."

The cat…

"Now, since I hate his soul that means his magic is now mine," the wolf stated, grinning. He was obviously quite pleased with himself over having obtained the cat's power. "This, consequently, means that that body only has magic for as long as I want you to. As for whether or not you're a witch, the thing is that your soul is in a body that is not yours. Your body has magic but your soul does not."

Viola looked at her hands. They were still squeezing the grass underneath, shaking violently.

She understood. The magic she had wasn't hers – it was Ellen's. Viola had no magic; she could only use magic because she was in Ellen's body. That wouldn't stop her from dying, and she knew it.

The wolf huffed. "Ellen's magic is dissipating as that guy's soul is being, let's say, 'digested'," he added. "Time's ticking away fast, Vi-o-la. What's your decision?"

The girl whimpered. She didn't have enough time to ponder the possible consequences of her decision. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to allow Ellen to win, after all she had done. She _couldn't_ allow it. Her father was right now accompanying the witch to their home, comforting her… giving her his share of love, as Ellen so desired… She knew what she had to do. If Ellen really wanted to switch places, then so be it. Ellen would become the normal girl… _and Viola would become the witch_.

' _I accept,'_ she cried in her thoughts. _'I'll make the deal. Make me a witch… Don't… let me die…'_

Her vision shut down. Everything went black. Viola stopped thinking. And the sound of the rain vanished.

* * *

Tick… tack… tick… tack…

' _Ugh… my head…'_

Tick… tack… tick… tack…

'… _Eh? Is that a clock…?'_

Tick… tack… tick… tack…

' _Wait… am I…? Am I…?'_

Tick…

The girl turned her head, finding herself capable of seeing again. She was in a room. A pretty room, decorated with paintings of beautiful landscapes and animal figurines. There was a window on the wall in front of her, closed at the moment. It looked cloudy outside. A faint smell of meat being cooked floated in the air…

Viola sat up, looking at her surroundings. Whose room was that? It didn't look like Ellen's room… Was she really back at her house?

"'Sup," greeted a familiar husky voice. "I see you're finally awake."

She looked at her right to find the large brown wolf staring at her from the floor. She tried talking, but the pain in her throat warned her that it was not a good idea.

The wolf wagged his tail once. "You'll have to keep talking with me through telepathy, princess," he said. "That throat of yours is still in bad shape. And your eyes… and your legs…"

Viola moved her hands towards her face. It wasn't bloodied anymore, but there were now bandages around her eye sockets; she still had no eyes. Looking down showed her that she was still missing her legs as well. She sobbed.

' _You lied to me…'_ she accused telepathically.

The wolf frowned. "Huh?"

' _You said you'd give me magic…'_

"And I did. How do you think you ended up here?" He gestured towards the walls of the room with his paw. "This is a witch's house – specifically, _your_ house."

Viola sniffed, her hands reaching desperately for the legs that just weren't there. She thought that if she got her own share of magic, her body would be healed. She wouldn't be in so much pain anymore. But that wasn't the case…

The wolf finally realized what was behind her distress. "Ah I get it. You thought that you'd be magically healed once you became a witch…" He shook his head. "Sorry, princess, that's not how it works. Self-made injuries need a higher level of magic to heal, as well as the nasty disease Ellen had…"

The new witch stopped sobbing. She looked back at the wolf. _'What… what did you say?'_

"I said that those injuries need a higher level of magic to heal," he repeated. "If you want to get rid of them, I suggest you practice…"

' _No, no,'_ Viola hissed in her thoughts. _'What did you say about Ellen's illness?'_

The wolf's ear twitched; he looked slightly annoyed at being interrupted. "I _said_ that the disease Ellen had could only be healed by a higher level magic, like your wounds…"

Viola looked at the window. Being in Ellen's body granted her access to the former witch's – and best friend – memories. The demon, the cat, told Ellen that she could not cure her illness with magic. That's what he told her… but the wolf was saying otherwise. Question was – which one was lying?

"That would be the cat," the wolf said promptly.

Viola yelped. She had forgotten that the wolf could read her thoughts for a second.

He grinned. "'Course, you can't really tell if I'm lying or not myself, uh? Guess you'll just have to trust me," he teased. "Anyway, it's like I said – that illness _can_ be cured, but not with the magic you have now."

' _So what do I do about that?'_ Viola asked, trying not to think about how worried she was that the wolf was lying to her. She had enough of being betrayed by Ellen…

"You practice, duh," the wolf snorted. "Ellen was a pretty lazy witch, you know? She never tried to experiment with the magic she had – all she did was do what the cat told her. Lame, isn't it?"

Viola didn't answer. A new concern was arising in her heart.

' _Now that I'm a witch… Will I have to gather souls for you? Like… Ellen did…?'_

"Weeeeell…" The wolf's grin got wider, as he hopped onto the bed, on the spot where Viola's legs should be. "That's your side of the bargain, princess. I give you magic and a nice house – you give me new and delicious souls to eat. I should warn you; I'm a very picky eater."

That couldn't be good. What was she supposed to do? Lure innocent children to her house like Ellen had? Wouldn't that make her as bad as her then?

She knew that making a deal with a demon and becoming a witch was not going to grant her a happy and pleasant life just like that. But in her despair, her willingness to stay alive… she ended up doing the same as Ellen.

"Ah, the heartbreaking moment when one realizes the horrible mistake that they've done," the wolf said in fake swoon. "A lovely scene to watch. I'm a sucker for drama. Now, Viola, I suggest we head downstairs. You have a house to visit, and if my nose is correct – which it should be…" He sniffed the air. "Yep, dinner's ready. Come on, we don't to upset the cook, do we?"

Viola frowned. _'I can't walk,'_ she reminded.

The wolf jumped off the bed and headed towards the door, which was ajar. "You have both the magic I gave you and what remains of Ellen's magic, princess," he declared, which surprised Viola. He said that Ellen's magic would vanish along with the cat's soul, didn't he?

"Since you were so kind as to make a deal with me, I allowed you to keep the leftovers of Ellen's magic. That alone should make you more powerful than Ellen was right from the start," he clarified, walking past the door into the hallway. "Take it as a gift, for my lovely witch."

Viola looked at her torso and then at the door. She would have to use magic to be able to get out of that room. She was not going to drag herself across the floor like she had done to chase Ellen. That was too painful…

Looking at her room, she noticed a chair, where a cute golden teddy bear was sitting. As she looked at the chair, she got an idea.

' _Help me move',_ she thought, as she raised her hands towards the chair. _'Come here and help me.'_

Immediately, the chair came to life. Its legs bended as if it was an animal, and trembled slightly. Then, it strutted towards the bed, obediently.

Viola smiled. _'Good girl…'_ she complimented, though she wasn't sure that this new animated chair was a female. She patted the chair, and the animated object jumped, as if it was happy.

She managed to sit on the chair, and took the teddy bear on her arms. The chair, responding to her mental commands, made its way past the door and onto the illuminated hallway, where the wolf was waiting.

It was time to see her house.


	4. The New Witch's House

**Disclaimer: I do not own "The Witch's House" and its characters.**

* * *

"This is… my house?"

Viola gawked at the walls of the hallway she was in. The color, the way the candlesticks and chandeliers were arranged, the paintings – everything was very similar to Ellen's house, but yet…

The paintings Viola was looking at depicted animals roaming free in the woods, in their natural environment. They looked happy. She could almost swear that, as she passed them by, the animals in the paintings moved to follow her. It was probably nothing…

The light of the candles swayed, brightening the hall with a warm and fuzzy light. Viola reached for the candle nearest to her, touching the yellow flame. It didn't hurt. The flame flashed blue once the tip of the new witch's finger connected with it, and then went back to being yellow once she pulled away.

The hallway, before it got to a large staircase, divided itself into two paths. The center of the floor was open, allowing Viola to see there was another division of the house underneath; probably another floor.

Both paths of the hallway reconnected at the center of the wall opposite to where Viola's room was, and showed a large painting. It was the only one that didn't depict animals – instead, it showed Viola, though this one looked completely healthy in Ellen's body. She had red eyes, legs, and no wounds on sight. She was smiling. Could Viola really look like that one day? Maybe the wolf placed that painting there so she could keep in mind what her goal was… or just to tease her…

There were four more doors, each on a corner. Viola wondered rooms they were for a second, but, noticing that the wolf was already near the staircase, waiting for them, she decided she'd ask about it later.

The bewitched chair carried Viola across the hallway, stopping next to the Wolf.

"'Sup," he grinned. "See? With magic, there's very little you can't do." He sniffed the chair for a second, before turning back towards the staircase. "Come on now, there's lot to see."

Viola watched the wolf strut down the stairs, wondering if the chair was going to be able to follow the demon beast, even if it was bewitched. She looked down at the chair and patted one of its legs.

' _Can you follow him?'_

As if to respond to Viola's mental question, the chair bent its front legs in an effort to nod. Then, it went down the stairs carefully, so to not drop Viola to the floor. It was moving its legs much alike a normal animal would.

The purple-haired witch smiled. It was just like the wolf said. With magic, she could do such wonderful things… but she could also do horrible things if she wasn't careful. She was afraid she would end up becoming like Ellen, more than anything… She'd have to practice her magic so that she would have full control over it. Maybe, like the wolf told her, she'd be able to cure the illness Ellen left behind in her body one day. Maybe…

"Those rooms up there don't really have anything interesting for you to see right now," the demon said. "The one immediately to your left will be my spot, and the one to your right is your maid's room."

' _I have a maid?'_ Viola thought, surprised.

"'Course you have. Someone's gotta clean the house, and it ain't gonna be me," the wolf grunted. "As for you, you have magic to practice and souls to harvest. Busy, busy, busy~"

Viola squeezed the teddy bear in her arms. Right… "Souls to harvest"… How was she going to do that…?

The wolf went on with his tour. "As for the other two rooms – the one on further left is the Toy Room and the one to the right is the bathroom," he explained. "Being a witch doesn't prevent you from having to empty your bowels, sorry."

Deciding to ignore that particular comment, Viola focused on something else. _'What's my maid's name? Is she here?'_

"She must be around here somewhere," the wolf replied, sounding like he really didn't care. "A bit of an airhead, that one. You should try not to give her anything too complicated to do, or she'll mess up for sure. As for her name, it's up to you."

' _I like the name Clarence,'_ Viola thought. _'Or Rosalie… Oh, I forgot – do_ you _have a name?'_

"Sure I do," the wolf replied, sitting down. "But I ain't gonna tell you."

Viola frowned. _'Why not?'_

The wolf looked at her, grinning. "Because, my dear sweet witch, it would be awfully easy for anyone to get rid of me once they knew my name. It's a 'demon' thing," he explained, shrugging. "I can be exorcized out of this world if someone knows my name and tells it to the wrong person – say, a Demon Hunter or exorcist."

' _There are Demon Hunters out there?'_ Viola was surprised. Never had she heard of such a thing.

"Of course there are. Witch Hunters too. So you better stay in your house," he warned. "At least while you're still a 'witch-in-training'. Anyway, enough of that – welcome to the second floor."

Viola looked around. The décor was the same as on the 3rd floor. On the other side of the staircase she had just descended from, there was another staircase leading to the floor below, and a large chandelier on the ceiling, right in between them. The paintings depicted, once again, animals in their natural habitats. This floor had six doors – two on the east wall, two on the west wall, one larger door on the north wall and another similarly large door on the south wall.

The wolf cleared his throat. "Right – doors to your left lead you to another bathroom and the living room. There's something that you need to do there, but that can be taken care of after you eat something," he stated. "The doors to your right are for the cook's room and the gardener's room."

' _I didn't know I'd have people actually working for me,'_ Viola admitted. _'Then again, Ellen had servants too…'_

"Yep, and especially considering the condition you're in," the wolf said, nodding at her missing legs. "You need all the help you can get, right? So, last but not least – the larger doors. The one behind you is the library door. Don't expect to find me there too often. I'm not much of a reader. And the door in front is for the balcony."

Viola looked at that last door with interest. _'Wow, a balcony. I can see what's happening outside and feel the breeze…'_ she thought.

"Yeah, just try not to fall down while you're out there daydreaming," the wolf commented with a grunt. "Not that it would kill you, it would just… probably hurt a lot, heh."

Viola huffed. She kept forgetting that the wolf could read her thoughts even when she wasn't attempting to converse with him. That was a massive invasion of privacy… How was she supposed to think freely knowing that the demon was capable of accessing her mind so easily?

Her worries were interrupted by the sound of something falling to the ground and breaking, immediately followed by some sort of battle cry. It sounded like it came from the floor below – the 1st floor.

The wolf sighed. "Not again…"

' _What was that?'_ the witch wanted to know. _'Is someone else in my house?'_

"That would be the maid," the wolf groaned. "Probably broke another plate. Told you she was an airhead."

Both demon and witch went down the stairs to see what was behind all the commotion. Once Viola's bewitched chair caught up with the wolf's quick pace, the witch immediately spotted three unfamiliar people standing in the hall.

One of them was dressed in a traditional maid outfit. Her hair was light brown, wavy and short. She had a petite figure and didn't seem to be that much older than Viola. Her purple eyes were watery from the tears she was holding back.

"I'm sorry, so-so sorry," she whimpered with a high-pitched voice. "T-there was something on the floor, for sure…!"

"Bullshit!" snapped a male to her right. At the sound of his rough voice, the maid flinched and whimpered even more.

The man who had spoken was tall and bulky. His outfit indicated that he was probably the cook – he was wielding a wooden spoon in his hand, anyway, and by the way he swung it at the shivering maid, it might as well have been a sword. He had very short blonde hair and sharp grey eyes. He seemed to be in his late twenties.

"We have a new witch to serve here, and you're still as clumsy as ever!" the cook accused. "Don't you get tired of being so useless? Do you have any idea how many plates you've broken since you've been in this house?"

The maid sniffed and looked at her fingers. "W-well… With the first Mistress, it was… t-twenty one… the second…" she counted.

"DON'T COUNT, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" the cook snapped.

Viola and the wolf looked at each other. The demonic animal simply shrugged and shook his head, which made the witch frown. What kind of servants had he gotten for her…?

The third unknown person finally intervened, by clearing his throat. He seemed to be much older than the other two; probably fifty or sixty. Despite his apparent age, he had this look about him – that he was not one to be underestimated over his age. Maybe it was his sharp ice-blue stare, coupled with his silver hair, perfectly combed back, along with his suit…

If the other two were the maid and the cook, then this should be the gardener. Viola tilted her head with a skeptical look. He didn't look like any gardener she'd ever seen. He looked more like a retired soldier.

"I have told you time and time again that your cussing is not welcome, Cook," the older man warned. He had a deep, smooth voice, which matched his appearance perfectly. "Plus, yelling at the Maid is only going to make her more nervous. That attitude does not help."

"I'll tell you what doesn't help," the cook spat, swinging his menacing spoon on the other man's face. "You calling us by the name of our jobs, and acting like you're the boss of me when the Missus is not around!"

The gardener sniffed. "Impudent fool," he growled. "Stop swinging that thing around, you'll poke someone's eyes out."

"Excuuuuse me," the wolf barked, catching their attention at last.

The maid stopped sobbing and looked straight at Viola. Her fearful expression didn't vanish. If anything, it intensified. Viola couldn't blame her, really – she _did_ look pretty scary.

The cook groaned at the sound of the wolf's voice and rolled his eyes, not even bothering to look at Viola.

The gardener, on the other hand, bowed down to both of them. "Master Wolf, Mistress," he greeted. "Welcome, at last."

Viola squeezed the teddy bear in her hands. Handling her new powers, the prospect of having to harvest souls for the wolf, and now these colorful characters as her servants? What kind of life was expecting her in that house…?

* * *

 **[A/N - Ah my God a whole chapter just to show around the house... And I'm not even done with it - I have the 1st floor left, and the living room and toy room, that Viola still has to check out. And the obrigatory secret passages :3**

 **Now to explain some things...**

 **The Wolf - sure he's nice enough for now. Wouldn't you be, if you wanted someone to harvest souls for you? But remember, he's _still_ a demon. He has plenty of darkness in him that is yet to be shown. And about how he's more powerful than the Cat - that will be explained later, but let's just say the the Wolf doesn't care much about "rules" when they don't benefit him...**

 **As for the servants - Ha, I love those three... They always serve the witches that make contracts with the Wolf (info on how they got to "work" for the Wolf and their background will be explained later on the story) but they gave up their names, so whenever there is a new witch she's the one in charge of naming them.**

 **Any ideas for names that Viola should give them?**

 **Thanks for the faves, follows and reviews so far! They are a great motivator for me to keep writing :3]**


	5. The Best Room in the House

**Disclaimer: I do not own "The Witch's House" and its characters.**

 **[A/N - Update at last! Sorry for the wait...]**

* * *

Viola looked down at her plate with a surprised look. That soup seemed delicious – it _smelled_ delicious! Her stomach grumbled loudly, showing her that it agreed with her brain's assessment on the meal that had been presented to her. Not that she was expecting the food to be bad, but… considering the cook's attitude, she did not expect such refined treatment.

The table was set with all kinds of different meals – codfish, beef, turkey, salad… - and they all looked cooked to perfection. Obviously, there was no way that she'd be able to eat all of it, but it seemed like, unsure of what kind of food she would prefer, the cook had decided to just make all kinds so that she would at least have a lot to choose from. Well, that was considerate of him. Surprisingly…

She glanced up at her servants with an apprehensive look. _'Hm… I want to thank the cook…'_

The Wolf grinned. "He's just doing his job, but whatever." He turned to the cook, who eyed him with a glare. "She's thanking you for the food."

The cook grunted, crossing his arms. "Why doesn't she thank me directly, huh? Has to ask you to deliver the message – is she too good to talk to me?!"

Viola whimpered in her mind. That man got angry way too easily… She'd have to be very careful with how she interacted with him… Though, in all honesty, she wouldn't be capable of interacting with him by herself, considering her inability to speak. She didn't fell too comfortable with having to rely on the Wolf to deliver her messages to her servants… What if he ended up saying something she didn't ask him to, just to cause her problems? She didn't know what he'd gain out of it, but she couldn't be too careful.

"H-hum, I'm sure that's not it…" the maid offered meekly. "Mistress must have a good reason not to talk…"

"She can't," the Wolf explained. "Got her throat all messed up by the witch that tricked her into trading bodies with her. Can't walk either."

The cook grunted again. "Pft. What _can_ she do then?"

At hearing this, the Wolf lost all signs of amusement and shot a glare of his own at the tall blonde man.

"She can tear you from limb to limb and turn you into a mindless puppet with her magic, who will follow each and every order she gives you," he growled. "She can make you think you are a 5-year old girl for the rest of your afterlife. I bet you'd look great in a pink tutu and a tiara~"

The cook redirected his glare at the gardener, who chuckled lightly and smirked teasingly.

"Humpf, whatever."

Viola frowned. _'Can I really do something like that?'_ she thought, knowing that only the Wolf could hear her thoughts.

The Wolf's grin returned. _'Well, no, not really,'_ he thought, communicating with her via telepathy. _'Not yet, anyway. You have to practice a lot before you can do stuff like that. So far, you can manipulate inanimate objects. But you'll know more as you practice with your magic. There are a lot of books in the library with spells you can try. But you should eat something first.'_

Viola observed him for a while, before nodding and turning her gaze back towards the soup. She took the spoon and filled it with the tasty-looking soup, took it to her mouth and tasted it.

'… _Wow…!'_ It was just as delicious as it looked and smelled! The cook was obviously a professional. _'This is really good!'_

"Soup approved," the Wolf commented.

The cook didn't seem pleased. He simply made an expression that clearly said "duh, of course it's approved, _I made it_ ".

The maid shifted on her feet. "Hum, M-Mistress… Be careful… If your throat is injured, the soup might hurt you if it's too hot…"

Viola shook her head. _'It's fine,'_ she thought. Then, she frowned, remembering the maid couldn't hear her. She'd have to look for a spell that would help her communicate with her servants through telepathy like she did with the Wolf; that way, she wouldn't have to rely on the demonic animal more than what was strictly necessary.

For now, she'd eat. That delicious food wouldn't just eat itself…

* * *

"So, what did ya think?"

Viola managed to make a small smile as the magical chair led her out of the dining room. _'The food was all delicious. The cook is great – skill wise, I mean. He doesn't seem very nice though…'_

"Ah well, don't take it personally," the demon grunted, as he strutted ahead of his witch. "He's always been like that. You'll have to think up a name for all of them soon, though."

The witch nodded. She already had the names decided - whether they would like the names or not was a completely different matter... - but she wanted to explore the rest of her house first. There were some rooms she hadn't seen yet.

' _How did they end up here?'_ she wondered.

The wolf didn't answer right away. "They each had their reasons to give up their souls to this house," he said as he sat in front of the staircase. "But they're all here voluntarily. More than what I can say about the servants at Ellen's house."

Yes, indeed… Viola remembered hearing the thoughts of all the lost souls that were trapped there… They didn't want to be there, serving the person who got them killed in the first place. They hated that house; they hated _Ellen_.

Viola wondered if she too hated her former friend. She certainly had enough reason to, and yet… A stupid girl she was; could she still consider Ellen a dear friend after what that girl did to her…?

"Well then," the Wolf barked, snapping Viola out of her thoughts. Whether the Wolf had been reading them or not, she couldn't know – he made no comment regarding them. "First floor; asides from the dining room, where you just came from, there's the kitchen and the storing room. Each on one side of dining room: kitchen to the left, storage to the right."

She looked over to the doors he indicated. Those were the cook's domains; she couldn't imagine any reason for her to be down there, other than to possibly help the cook with preparing food, _if_ he so allowed. Maybe she should let him warm up to her before trying that… that could take a while.

The Wolf finally completed his tour. "And, last but certainly not least, the garden," he pointed out, nodding towards a door to the left of the front door, the latter of which led outside, naturally. "And the petting zoo, to the front door's right. Soon to be your favorite room in the house, I reckon…"

Viola's face lit up. _'A petting zoo? I have pets?'_

The Wolf grinned, noticing her enthusiasm. "A little gift for my witch. Or _another_ gift, should I say, considering I already allowed you to keep what was left of Ellen's magic. It wasn't part of the original design, but I had it made especially for you," he stated. "I feel charitable – all with the condition you're in and everything…"

' _Can I go see it? Please?'_ she begged in her thoughts, He couldn't see sparkles in her eyes since she didn't have them anymore, but, unbeknownst to her, there were sparkled all around her, coupled with flowers.

A small sweatdrop emerged on the side of the Wolf's face. "Ah sure… Go right ahead," he allowed. "But don't forget to go check out the living room afterwards, and then the library. Gotta start practicing as soon as possible if you wanna get better," he reminded. "The sooner you have powerful spells the sooner you harvest delicious new souls for yours truly~"

Right, there was still that… Viola hadn't forgotten about the downside to her deal, but she preferred not to think about it for now. That would be something she'd have to think about eventually, though – could she really do that? Trick people into coming into her house just so they can have their souls eaten by the Wolf? Force them into becoming minions to her magical house like _Ellen_ did?

"You keep thinking about that over and over as if it's such a bad thing," the Wolf groaned suddenly.

Viola really should stop being surprised over the Wolf reading her mind as if it's an open book – even if he did say he wasn't much of a reader…

The demonic beast yawned. "Princess, there's no need to worry about that stuff now. We have a deal, and you're just gonna have to get used to it."

He allowed Viola a couple of seconds to let it sink in before going on.

"Just remember what I told you – I am a very, _very_ picky eater. Not any average soul will do. I like my souls…" He sighed and looked up at the ceiling, feigning an expression of one who is deep in thought. "… how should I put it… _dark and twisted_ … _Yeah_ , that's it. The more corrupted they are, all the tastier they get. Keep that in mind~"

The Wolf turned to go up the stairs, leaving Viola alone on the first floor. Alone with her thoughts, at last. Maybe – could he still read her thoughts if he wasn't in the same room as her? Hm…

He had certainly given her something to think about. "Dark and twisted", huh? So that's the kind of souls the Wolf wanted… _Dark and twisted_ … Like, evil people? That didn't sound too bad; at least she wouldn't have to go after the innocent… but still, they were _people_ , no matter how wicked they were… Could she really pull it off?

Viola shook her head and sighed. _'I'll worry about it later.'_ Now, she had a petting zoo to visit.

The chair followed her mental order to take her towards the door located right to the front door. Once she was right in front of it, she reached out for the doorknob and turned it.

The door opened to reveal a large garden, with tall trees framing the corridor that could lead her through the maze of greenery. Thank God for her ability to use magic in order to see – otherwise she wouldn't be able to appreciate the beauty of that room. And the Wolf had it installed just for her! Sure, he could be trying to make her comfortable just so she would be less inclined to refuse gathering souls for him to eat…

Shaking that thought away, Viola squeezed the arms of her chair. The enchanted objected immediately responded to her will and moved forward.

Everything was so beautiful: the flowers, the trees, the ground… But where were the animals?

As if to answer her question, she heard a beautiful tune coming from one of the tallest trees. Several birds fluttered towards her, circling the witch and singing a lovely melody.

"Hello, Viola," one of the birds greeted. It was a pretty red bird with three long golden feathers adorning its head as if it was hair. "We were waiting for you. Welcome home!"

All the other birds chanted: "Welcome!" "Welcome!"

Having obviously heard the birds' greetings, several other animals started making themselves visible from the bushes and trees: squirrels, deer, hedgehogs and even foxes.

Viola smiled. Just like the Wolf said, that was soon to be her favorite room in the house. The _best_ room in the house.


	6. The Mirror

**Disclaimer: I do not own "The Witch's House" and its characters.**

 **[A/N - HOLY SHIT I am sorry for the _massive_ delay in updates... I already messaged one of my followers (you know who you are...) who was kind enough to leave a comment reminding me that HEY some people actually like to read my stories and I was being kind of a jerk for not writing in such a long time so... Here it is! I am getting back on track with my stories, starting with this one! If the quality in writing seems to have decreased, I'm sorry, not writing for a while does that to you.**

 **Again, thanks for being patient!]**

* * *

"Hey… you done yet?"

The sudden calling caused Viola to jump slightly on her chair. She was so absorbed in the animals that she didn't even hear the sound of the door opening. The witch slowly turned her head to find a slightly annoyed Wolf staring at her, waiting.

Oh, that's right. She was having so much fun with the animals in her own petting zoo that she almost forgot about her current condition – all with her being a witch with no eyes or legs bound to serve a demonic wolf in trade of magic… Yes, she almost forgot about that. _Almost_.

' _Ah, sorry,"_ she thought, apologetically. _"But all these animals are so cute…'_

The birds chirped happily at hearing this, once again flying around her head in circles. A hedgehog that was sitting right next to Viola tried to follow their movements with his head but ended up getting dizzy and fell over.

Viola smiled. _So cute…!_

The Wolf grunted. "Yeah, yeah. You didn't forget about what you had to do in the living room, right?"

Actually, he had never told her what they had to do there, but yes, she did forget. Quite honestly, Viola didn't really want to think about what "appointment" she had with the Wolf, but she was willing to bet it had something to do with her having to practice magic. That alone wouldn't be too bad, but she knew that her practicing magic was only a means to an end – specifically, the end in which Viola "harvested" souls for the Wolf. She didn't really like thinking about that; in fact, she avoided thinking about that.

"I'll take that silence as a 'yes'," the Wolf said, before Viola could properly think of a reply. "I could almost hear the crickets in your head, heh. Anyhow, you gotta leave the pets for now, Princess. Gotta head for the living room to take care of something really fast."

'… _And what is that thing we have to take care of exactly…?'_ Viola wondered.

The large wolf got up and wagged his tail once. "There's something there you gotta bewitch so you can use on a daily basis," he responded. "For practicality sakes. Gonna help you a lot for keeping an eye on anyone who tries to get into your property."

Viola frowned. ' _So I can then lure them into the house for you to eat?'_

"Well," the Wolf grinned. "Some of them anyway. You still remember the kind of souls I like, right?"

' _Dark and twisted, is what you said",_ Viola thought. _"So bad people is what you want. Why though?'_

The Wolf shrugged – as best as he could, considering he had no shoulders. "Meh, I just found out dark souls taste better than pure ones. It's a matter of taste, I suppose," he replied, as casually as one would if talking about what kind of soup he liked. "Most demons go for the whole 'pure of heart' thing, or anything really, but I'm just weird like that."

Suddenly, Viola remembered something. _"Wait, is that why you ate the Cat?"_ she asked in her thoughts.

The Wolf smirked, and that confirmed Viola's suspicions. She hadn't put much thought into the why Wolf ate the Cat – nor did she care for doing that, considering he kind of did save her by doing that – but now that she did think about it, it only made sense. The Wolf ate the Cat not to save her especially, but because he was a demon and demons _must_ have the darkest souls possible. It must have been quite a delicacy for the Wolf if he liked that kind of soul… and her being saved was just a bonus for him in the end.

"You catch on quickly, Princess," the Wolf praised. "Yep, his soul was pretty good, but still I've had better. Ah, there was this one demon in France…" He looked up at the ceiling with a dreamy look. "That soul was _the best_ …"

While the Wolf was reminiscing about his past meals, Viola was deep in thought. The whole thing was rather odd. She didn't think that demons would be off eating each other – judging from the little knowledge she got from Ellen's memories she was quite certain that demons only preyed upon human souls. The Wolf eating other demons' souls was some sort of cannibalism, for sure. And that didn't sound right.

Luckily the Wolf was too lost in his own memories to pay attention to what Viola was thinking.

"Anyway," he sighed. "We better get going. If I start thinking about tasty dark souls any longer I'll start salivating."

Viola nodded, and allowed the small bunny she had been holding in her arms to go back on the ground, patting its head as she commanded the magical chair to go forward, after the Wolf. Once they got to the second floor, the Wolf led her to the living room.

It was a wide and open room, with a large chandelier in the ceiling. There was barely any decoration in the room, other than two picture frames depicting beautiful landscapes on one wall, a stunning carpet with an Aztec print and a simple white sofa right in the middle of it.

The witch was quite surprised with the minimalistic décor of this room, but still, it suited her. She didn't particularly like too much fancy stuff anyway, having grown up used to having very little and living in a cottage in the woods. She didn't want to think too much of that, though – it reminded her of her father, and the life she'd never have again…

Luckily for her, this time the Wolf picked up on her sadness and swatted her arm with his tail playfully. "Now, Princess. If you would be so kind to cheer up and look to your right, you'd see the object I was talking about before."

Viola made a small smile, and looked at the wall the Wolf was pointing out. She was surprised, yet again, by what she saw.

The whole wall was covered by a giant mirror, which reflected the simple room it was in, along with its two occupants. Viola couldn't help but wince when she saw her reflection. She could barely acknowledge that as being her – the purple hair, lanky and unkempt; the bandages around her empty eye sockets, slowly getting bloodied again; the pathetic stumps she carried in her lower half, where the rest of her legs should be…

This sight did nothing for her morale – in fact, it made her feel even more pitiful and depressed. _This wasn't her_. She was a healthy girl, with working legs and bright green eyes, full of life. This was _Ellen's_ body, not hers. It just wasn't fair.

'… _It's not fair…'_

" _Life_ isn't fair," the Wolf remarked. "Yet you humans life on happily, enjoying the little things. That's one thing I admire about you lot. No matter how hard times are for you, your species always finds a way to turn things around."

Viola looked down at her lap. Yes, the Wolf was right; she knew that, but…

"Hey," the Wolf called gruffly. "I don't want no Emo Princess. Cheer up. I put that painting on the third floor for a reason."

Viola looked at the Wolf, sniffing as she fought to keep the tears at bay. Painting…? Could he be talking about that one painting that depicted her…?

It was the biggest painting in the house – the one where she was healthy, her purple hair shimmered in the sunlight, her eyes were red and full of life, she had legs, and she was _smiling_. _She was happy._

When she first saw that painting, she wondered that maybe the Wolf had put it there to tease her… to mess with her… But could he have put it there to remind her what she was fighting for?

' _You… you put that there for me?'_ she wondered, half hopefully, and half suspiciously.

The Wolf grunted. "Gotta keep my apprentice motivated, right? And what better way to do it than showing her how she'll look once she's managed to get good enough with her magic?" he replied. "Remember – you're _my_ witch. I expect you to be nothing other than the best."

Viola looked at the Wolf for some time, before looking at her reflection again. It still looked ghastly, and it was painful to know that's how she'd look for a while, but… She didn't feel so sad anymore. After all, the Wolf believed she could do it. That felt nice, somehow. Maybe he wasn't so bad…

Plus, he was right – that painting was as good a motivation she could get. She wanted to look like that one day – that happy, _healthy_ , smiling version of herself. She _had_ to – she absolutely refused to stay in that decrepit body Ellen had left her in forever! She would heal herself, and then… then…

"Then you'll gather lots and lots of tasty souls for me," the Wolf purred, completing her thoughts. "Oh, I wonder what kind of wretched soul you'll get first…!"

' _Wait. I want to do something else when I get better,'_ Viola thought. ' _I mean, other than that...'_

The Wolf tilted his head quizzically. "Oh?" He seemed interested. "And what would that be?"

'… _I want to find Ellen,'_ she replied, which seemed to please the Wolf for some reason, as he grinned. ' _I just… I can't forgive her for leaving me like this… Though I still feel sorry for what she went through I still can't. She can't get away with it!'_

The Wolf nodded vehemently. "Yep, yep, I'm all for it, Princess," he stated. "Though, I have to ask… What _will you do_ when you do find her?"

Viola pondered for a moment. She just couldn't imagine herself actually hurting Ellen. Even after all she had done to her, all the pain, the betrayal, the _taunting_ … She couldn't. If she got her payback by inflicting as much pain on Ellen as possible, wouldn't she become just like her? _Or worse?_

Finally, she had her answer. _"Ellen did what she did because she wanted to have a better life. And she didn't care that I had to pay the price for it. I was dumb, really, for falling for her lies,"_ she thought, her heart aching as she chuckled bitterly.

It was painful, admitting to herself that she had been deceived – Ellen hadn't been her friend, in the end. It was all a lie. And she was just that stupid girl who actually allowed her to take over her body. But, maybe that was the first step in her healing process. Maybe she would never become that smiling, healthy Viola from the picture if she held on to the past. She had to let go.

' _But I don't want to hurt her,'_ she realized, finally. The Wolf looked skeptical, but she smiled confidently. ' _I really don't. I don't want to be like her. I just want to find her so I can show her that I wasn't the only one that was deceived. She was too, by the Cat. I want her to see me happy, healthy, with magic that she gave away just to hurt me. I want her to realize that, even if she takes away my body and my father, I did not become like her. That will be the worst thing for her – to know that she didn't defeat me.'_

The Wolf seemed to be deep at thought for some time after listening to her answer. Finally, he grinned again.

"You humans never cease to surprise me… Usually it would be about now that I'd get the 'I'll hurt her more than she hurt me, show her how much I suffered' speech," he snorted.

' _Not from me,'_ Viola assured. ' _Though… While I don't want to hurt her, I have nothing against giving her a good scare… Or a couple of them…'_

The Wolf's ear twitched, as he stared at her for a couple of seconds. Then he burst into laughter. "You are definitely an interesting one, Princess! But still… After all she did, all you want to do is scare her and show her you're not dead? Not even a slap?"

Viola shook her head. A slap didn't sound too bad, though….

"Meh. Your soul must be one of those 'incorruptible, pure ones', blech. Disgusting."

Viola was not sure if she should feel offended by that, or relieved – it did mean he'd have no interest in eating it, after all…


	7. The Others

**Disclaimer: I do not own "The Witch's House" and its characters.**

* * *

Magic was apparently harder than she thought.

Bewitching a small chair was simple enough, but a whole mirror that covered the whole wall was a different thing entirely – especially considering the purpose behind said magic.

No matter how much she focused on the mirror and what she wanted to, there hadn't been much progress. She felt a bit stupid, sitting there in the couch with her hands pointed towards the mirror without accomplishing more than sore arms, but she knew she had to keep trying. She knew she had magic, and she had the determination to succeed, so all that was missing was the endurance. Unfortunately, with her body, she didn't have the physical endurance to match her emotional endurance.

' _Come on, it shouldn't be so hard…'_ she complained to herself.

The Wolf had left her to practice on her own, confident she would succeed pretty quickly, but the witch was quite sure that it had been an hour since then, and nothing had changed. The mirror still showed nothing other than her and the couch.

Theoretically, Viola should have bewitched the mirror so that it would show her what she wanted to see – any location, any person. That was the purpose behind the mirror, but Viola hadn't managed to do so yet. She was desperately trying to channel the image of her father, wanting to see how he was doing – and, at the same time, trying not to think too much about how she would probably be disappointed with what she ended up seeing, all with Ellen pretending to be her and living her life. That was still a bit painful, but she couldn't focus on that. She had to focus on her magic, and seeing her father…

With an exasperated sigh, she let her arms drop. The mirror was still stubbornly refusing to show her what she wanted to see, and she was getting tired quickly. Her body was an unhealthy one, and straining herself couldn't be any good. The bewitched chair nudged at her, worriedly.

' _I'm okay,'_ Viola assured. _'I just need to rest a bit… Using magic is really tiresome in this body…'_

She really had to do something about that. It was clear that she had to practice small bits of magic before she handled the most difficult spells, so that her body would slowly get used to it. With that in mind, why would the Wolf then want her to practice magic that was so obviously beyond her level? Was this spell really that easy, meaning that she was just terrible at using her new magic power? That was a sad thought…

Viola looked at the mirror. She was sweating, and her skin looked shallow – like a corpse, almost. Damn, she hated this body… Maybe she should just call the Wolf and tell him she couldn't do it…

And then, just as she focused on trying to contact the Wolf, the reflection of the mirror changed.

Viola twitched in her seat, startled. She wasn't even trying on the mirror anymore! Why was it changing now instead of ten minutes ago? Putting that question aside, she watched as the image that the mirror showed slowly changed to that of an attic. The Wolf was there, sitting in front of a large chest and sniffing at it. The witch frowned – what was in that chest that was so interesting to him?

As if to answer her question, the image zoomed in on the chest, showing paintings alike the one of herself that was on display on the third floor. They didn't show Viola, however. The only one she could see fully – the one on top – showed a young girl with curly ginger hair and blue eyes. She didn't seem to be that much older than her, and had a very mischievous smile on her face. Who could that be?

The Wolf finally decided he had enough of staring at the paintings and closed the lid, turning to leave the attic. With that, the image faded, going back to showing Viola's confused reflection.

She lied back on the couch, staring mindlessly at the mirror. Why was it that she managed to see the Wolf when she just thought about calling him? Was she trying too hard back when she was trying to see her father? Perhaps… Maybe the secret to the mirror was just to let her thoughts flow without straining herself… Well that would have been useful information an hour ago! What a waste of sixty minutes…

Though, she did end up seeing something rather interesting… Who could that girl be? And could the chest be filled with paintings of other girls? Why would the Wolf have paintings like the one he had for her? Unless…

… They were previous witches… She did remember the Maid mentioning to have had at least two "mistresses" before – all of which saw the number of plates decline at her clumsy hands, apparently… That ginger-haired girl was probably one of them. That did make Viola curious. What happened to the other witches that the Wolf made deals with? Where were they now?

She glanced at the door. Should she go take a look at that chest herself? Hm… She didn't like to snoop, but she was really curious… Her father had always said that she was too curious for her own good, but damn she really wanted to know…! Plus, it was _her_ house, so she had the right to go wherever she wanted, right?

Right.

' _Time to go,"_ she thought, directing the thought towards the bewitched chair, which she suddenly decided to name Charlotte. Yep, Charlotte the Chair – sounded nice.

Charlotte immediately complied, bending its front legs and standing in front of Viola so she could sit.

As Charlotte led her towards the third floor – the only logical place for the attic to be, even though Viola was pretty sure that the Wolf didn't mention that she had an attic… - she took another look at the large painting of her healthy self.

' _One day, I will look like that,_ ' she thought, determined. _'I will be healthy and smiling. Even if I'm a witch, collecting souls for a demon, I will be happy. I will.'_

She smiled at the painting, trying her best to mirror the same bright smile she was carrying in it. For a split second, it almost looked as if her painting smiled more – wait, did it wink at her?!

Viola frowned. It really did look as if the painting winked at her… But, taking a second look, the painting looked exactly the same as it did before… It must have been her imagination, for sure…

Observing the ceiling, Viola saw nothing to indicate the presence of a door leading to an attic. It was all white, and there was no marking. Though, that was not nearly enough for her to question if there really was one – obviously, it was concealed by magic.

Reaching out her hand, she tried to focus on finding the attic door. Not trying too hard though – she had learned her lesson with the mirror – but instead just thinking about what she wanted to do, as casually as she thought about moving her arm. Sure enough, within a couple of seconds, there was a click, and a door some inches to her right opened, allowing stairs to come down the opening, ending on the floor.

' _Why would the Wolf hide the attic from me…?'_ she wondered. Could there be something there he didn't want her to see? Maybe a secret about himself, or his motives… She really didn't want to think about the possibility of him deceiving her for some reason and lying about her being capable of being healthy one day… She had already been deceived once, and it hurt. Though the Wolf wasn't a friend as she believed Ellen to be… Sure, he helped her but...

Charlotte went up the stairs – with some difficulty, considering how narrow they were – taking Viola to the secret attic. It looked about as normal as attics could, and there wasn't really a lot to look at, other than the obvious large chest Viola was looking for in the first place.

She reached out to it, and, as if to answer to her magic, it opened immediately without her even touching it. Just as she had seen in the mirror, it was filled with paintings.

Viola tilted her head, and moved her hand to lift the paintings in the air. The paintings complied with her simple request. It was getting easier for her to use magic – now that she thought about it, when she bewitched Charlotte, she hadn't really tried that hard, she just thought about doing it, and it happened.

The first painting was that of the girl with the ginger hair. Looking at it more closely, she noticed the girl had freckles, and there was a name written in the bottom. "Isabella". Could that be her name? What a pretty name. The painting was perfectly clean, indicating the Wolf saw it often. Why, she didn't know.

The second painting showed a girl with brown hair tied in a ponytail. She had green eyes, like Viola once had, but looked older than her – perhaps 16 or 17… The name on that painting was "Fiona". Even though she was smiling, there was something about her eyes… they looked hallow, soulless.

The third one, labeled "Hailin", showed a girl with short black hair cut in a bowl-cut, with eyes as dark as her hair. She looked about as old as Viola, and even though she was smiling, she was also crying. Strange…

The fourth one depicted a girl supposedly named "Marisol" – if those names really were their own – but she couldn't tell how the girl looked like. The painting had been slashed by what seemed like claws.

Viola frowned. It seemed as if this was the one painting that the Wolf didn't see often, if at all, as it was covered in dust and cobwebs. Plus, the fact that it was slashed… The Wolf was probably responsible for it. From what little she could see, it looked as if the girl was blonde, but her face was gone from the painting.

As she put the painting back in the chest, Viola once again wondered where these previous witches could be – if that's what they were. Could the Wolf have eaten their souls once he was done with them? Did that mean… that's what was in store for her once she got strong enough?

Viola shook her head. It would do her no good to think about these things. She would deal with things in their due time. Plus, just because Ellen lied to her and tricked her, she shouldn't just assume everyone else is out to get her. True, the Wolf _was_ a demon, but… she had to keep believing in the good of everyone. Even of demons. _Ellen would not take that away from her._

' _Alright, let's go back,'_ Viola thought, patting Charlotte. _'We've done enough snooping around.'_

Charlotte did as it was told, turning around to head down the stairs, while Viola waved her hand in the air, commanding the chest to close itself mentally. She would question the Wolf about these paintings later… maybe. Would he be mad that she saw them? Hm… Maybe she should question the servants instead… wait, she couldn't talk to them mentally, could she? Couldn't hurt to try. She didn't want to use the Wolf as an interpreter forever, anyway.

Just as the door of the attic closed, a giggle came from the chest, though Viola didn't hear it. Someone inside the chest spoke, over the sound of muffled sobs coming from someone else, also from the chest. As if they came from the paintings…

" **So that's the new witch, eh? Nice to meet you, Viola dear. Don't worry your pretty little head. Isabella will be watching over you. Forever~"**


End file.
